A comforting taste of home in a bowl, this cauliflower cheese soup recipe is rich in the toasty, cheesy flavour you want from the classic dish.
Read on for my guide to making the very best cauliflower cheese soup without overdoing the cheese.
Cauliflower cheese soup
Cauliflower cheese soup is velvety, rich in flavour, and tastes exactly like cauliflower cheese. What could be better?
One batch of this lovely cheesy cauliflower cheese soup recipe will last you several days, and have you planning to make it again and again.
See also
- Broccoli and cauliflower soup makes a nourishing and light lunch or starter
- Cauliflower and spices are a great combo; my curried cauliflower soup is full of flavour
- A Christmas classic, broccoli and Stilton soup is a wonderful rich winter dish
Cauliflower really is a magic ingredient, so much more than a side vegetable to serve steamed. When you puree it, it is so smooth and creamy, and when you roast it, the toastiness is irresistible.
Cauliflower takes on other flavours really well, which makes it ideal for bulking up sauces, soups and curries where you want the creaminess but not the calories.
I have used some flavour-enhancing ingredients to make sure you get the full benefit of that lovely toasty cheesy flavour and a rich, warm colour without the need to add too much cheese.
Like most soups, my cauliflower cheese soup recipe is easy and adaptable. A smaller or larger cauliflower works just as well, and if you have an extra stick of celery, you can throw it into this easy, one pan recipe.
Why make cauliflower cheese soup
- comforting winter soup with a sumptuous texture
- wonderful toasted cheesy flavours without too much cheese
- get your daily veg with no waste – you use the whole cauliflower
- easy to make and one pan means minimal washing up
Cauliflower cheese soup ingredients
- Cauliflower – an average cauliflower, about 12–15 cm / 5–6”
- Cheese – extra mature cheddar or other hard cheese with plenty of heft to the flavour. Stronger cheese means you need less, which means less fat, fewer calories and less cost.
- Milk – any, but if using skimmed milk, add a bit more and use less water to make up the stock.
- Stock – cube or pot, vegetable or chicken as you prefer
- Potato – one that you can cup in the palm of your hand, for extra body
- Celery, carrot & onion – this is the classic soffritto/mirepoix mix that is the base of so many recipes. You can buy it frozen in the supermarket if you are feeling lazy.
- Garlic
- Smooth Dijon mustard – this acts as a flavour enhancer for cheese and so many classic cheese recipes include a little mustard. It will not result in a mustard taste, so don’t worry if you don’t like mustard.
- Turmeric – just a touch to enhance the colour and not enough to flavour the soup. You eat with your eyes first, so that extra cheesy colour helps the rich flavour of the cauliflower soup along.
- Butter/oil (not shown) – for sauteeing the vegetables.
How to make cauliflower cheese soup – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – First, prepare the vegetables.
- Celery – trim and cut lengthwise, once or twice and into small pieces
- Carrots – top and tail, peel, cut lengthwise and dice
- Onion – top, tail, peel, and dice
- Potato – dice – if the skin is thin, and unblemished there is no need to peel
- Garlic – peel and chop
- Cauliflower – break into florets and chop the stalk and the ribs from larger leaves. Reserve any delicate green leaves to cook as you would cabbage for another meal.
Step Two – Melt the butter or oil in a medium pot with a well-fitting lid. Add the prepared celery, onion, carrot and potato and fry for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and fragrant.
If you are using frozen soffritto mix, then fry that first for a few minutes until it has defrosted and any water has evaporated, before adding the potato.
Keep stirring. I find the potato can stick if you are not using a non-stick pan.
Step Three – Add the turmeric and garlic. Garlic needs less time to cook than the other vegetables, and needs to go in last to avoid burning (and burned garlic tastes awful!). Don’t worry if some of the other veg start to stick a little at this stage.
Step Four – Add the cauliflower, mustard, milk, stock cube/pot, and some water.
Remember that you can add liquid but not remove it, so add a bit at a time until the vegetables are just poking out above the liquid. Season with a little black pepper.
Put the lid on and bring to a very gentle simmer for about 15–20 minutes. As the soup cooks, the vegetables will release water and collapse as they soften.
Step Five – After about 20 minutes, the vegetables should be soft and tender. Use a sharp knife to check and cook a little longer if needed.
Step Six – Remove the soup from the heat. Then blend to a creamy, smooth consistency using a stick blender. The secret to this soup is a really thorough blending to make it velvety smooth. Blend and blend some more, even when you think it is done. The smoother it is, the creamier it will taste!
Helen’s Fuss Free Tip
A cheap stick/immersion blender is the simplest and best way to blend soup. I have had mine for years.
If you must use a jug blender with hot soup, never use the central bung. As you blend, it will generate steam which can blow the lid off and send scalding soup everywhere.
Instead, cover with a folded piece of kitchen paper, then a tea towel over the top. Lift from time to time between each blend to allow the steam to escape.
Step Seven – Add the cheese and stir it in well. You can add a little more milk or water if you feel you need it. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Once the cheese has been added, you need to treat your soup carefully.
If the soup has cooled, reheat it gently to melt the cheese. Do not let it boil, because this can result in stringy cheese and a disappointing texture.
Serving suggestion
Serve your cauliflower cheese soup hot. I like to garnish my soups with some fresh herbs, and parsley would be ideal here. Add an extra sprinkling of cheese on top or a scattering of croutons.
Serve with a delicious rustic bread for a warming and delicious meal.
Variations
- Vary this cauliflower cheese soup recipe by choosing a different hard cheese.
- Garnish with toasted flaked almonds.
- If you love truffle, it pairs well with cauliflower, so you could dot your cauliflower cheese soup with a little truffle oil.
Storage
This deliciously cheesy cauliflower cheese soup recipe will serve four as a meal with some hearty bread, or six as a starter, so if you are making it for one or two, you will have a second serving for tomorrow or to freeze for later.
Fridge – Once cool, cover and store in the fridge, where it will keep for up to three days. Reheat in a pan on the stove or in the microwave.
Freezer – Transfer the cooled soup to airtight containers and freeze your leek and potato soup for up to three months. See notes on adding milk and cream in hints and tips below.
Reheating – Defrost your soup in the fridge overnight, or on the kitchen counter for a few hours. Reheat in a pan on the stove top, or in a safe container in the microwave. When using the microwave, I like to use a Pyrex-style jug as you can lift it out one handed and pour it out easily.
Hints and tips
- Do be careful when blending soup. Using a stick blender is easier and in my view, safer. If you must use a jug blender, don’t use the bung.
- Soups made with cheese need care when reheating. You can easily spoil the texture so go gently.
FAQs
Yes, it freezes well. Just be very gentle when you come to reheat it, as if you overheat the soup, the texture will spoil.
I haven’t tried it but cannot see any reason why you couldn’t use vegan cheese substitutes in this cauliflower cheese soup recipe if that’s what you like. The usual warning about melting the cheese with care still applies.
I would be careful not to overwhelm the flavour of the cauliflower, but you could add a little thyme or sage.
More comforting soup recipes
- Cream of vegetable soup – warming and delicious
- Chicken gnocchi soup – a hug in a bowl
- Carrot and swede soup – make the most of winter roots
- All my favourite soup recipes
Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Equipment
- Stick / Immersion Blender (UK) Get one with the highest wattage you can, and ideally a steel shaft
Ingredients
- 1 large stick celery (or 2 small ones)
- 1 potato
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 clove garlic (1 fat or 2 small cloves)
- 1 cauliflower (medium size)
- 15 g butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 500 ml stock (vegetable or chicken)
- 200 ml milk (or oil)
- black pepper
- 150 g mature cheddar cheese (or other strong hard cheese)
Instructions
- First, prepare the vegetables. Trim and chop the celery and potato (if the skin in thinand clean, you don’t need to peel it). Peel, trim and chop carrot, onion and garlic.1 large stick celery, 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 1 clove garlic
- Break the cauliflower into florets and chop the stalk and the ribs from larger leaves. Reserve any delicate green leaves to cook as you would cabbage for another meal.1 cauliflower
- Melt the butter or oil in a medium pot with a lid. Add the prepared celery, onion, carrot and potato and fry for a few minutes until the onion is translucent and fragrant. Stir constantly.15 g butter
- Add the turmeric and garlic and continue to cook for a further minute or two.¼ tsp turmeric
- Add the cauliflower, mustard, milk, stock cube/pot, and some water so that the vegetables are just poking out of the top. Don't add too much water. You can add more later if needed. Add a little black pepper.1 tsp Dijon mustard, 500 ml stock, 200 ml milk, black pepper
- Put the lid on and bring to a very gentle simmer for about 15–20 minutes. As the soup cooks, the vegetables will release water and collapse as they soften.
- After about 20 minutes, the vegetables should be soft and tender. Use a sharp knife to check and cook a little longer if needed.
- Remove the soup from the heat. Blend long and well to a creamy, smooth consistency using a stick blender.
- Add the cheese and stir it in well to melt it but do not overheat the cheese. You can add a little more milk or water if you feel you need it. Check the seasoning and adjust if necessary.150 g mature cheddar cheese
Notes
- Do be careful when blending soup. Using a stick blender is easier and in my view, safer. If you must use a jug blender, don’t use the bung.
- Soups made with cheese need care when reheating. You can easily spoil the texture so go slowly.
Video
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